Microarray processing apparatus, well plate for microarray processing apparatus, microarray holder, and microarray washing method

Abstract

Provided is a microarray processing apparatus which is capable of sufficiently washing a microarray. The microarray processing apparatus ( 30 ) includes a well plate ( 38 ) in which one or two or more wells ( 40 ) are formed, each well ( 40 ) accommodating a microarray ( 1 ), and a suction nozzle ( 46 ) that suctions a liquid from the well. The well has a concave portion whose upper end is opened, which has a depth equal to or greater than a height of the microarray, and into which a front end of the suction nozzle can be inserted up to a height position of a lower end of the microarray accommodated in the well. The suction nozzle can relatively descend in the well until the front end of the suction nozzle is located at the height position of the lower end of the microarray accommodated in the well.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A microarray processing apparatus comprising:
 a well plate in which at least one well is formed, each well accommodating a microarray which has a flat shape and whose outer edge is held by a microarray holder in an erected state to a bottom surface of each well, and having a concave portion formed at an inner wall of each well; and 
 a well cover which comes into contact with an upper surface of the well plate and hermetically seals an opened upper end of each well, 
 wherein the concave portion has an opened upper end, and extends along a depth direction of each well from the bottom surface to the opened end of each well, and 
 a length of the concave portion along the depth direction of each well is longer than a height of the microarray accommodated in each well and is longer than a height of the microarray holder accommodated in each well. 
 
     
     
       2. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a well cover supporting mechanism which supports the well cover in such a manner that a lower surface of the well cover faces the upper surface of the well plate above an upper side of the well plate, and which moves the well cover in a direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the well plate. 
 
     
     
       3. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the well plate has a circular plate shape, 
 a plurality of the wells are arranged in a circumferential direction of the circular plate shape of the well plate, 
 the well cover has a circular plate shape and has substantially the same external appearance as the well plate, and 
 the well cover supporting mechanism rotates the well cover around a central axis of the circular plate shape of the well cover. 
 
     
     
       4. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a suction nozzle that suctions a liquid from each well,
 wherein a front end of the suction nozzle can be inserted into the concave portion up to a height position of a lower end of the microarray accommodated in each well, and 
 the suction nozzle is movable in each well along the depth direction until the front end of the suction nozzle is located at the height position of the lower end of the microarray accommodated in each well. 
 
     
     
       5. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 Wherein the suction nozzle is movable in each well along the depth direction until the front end of the suction nozzle is located at a height position spaced away from the bottom surface of each well by a distance ranging from 1 mm to 2 mm. 
 
     
     
       6. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein a front end surface of the suction nozzle has an inclination angle of 10° or less with respect to the bottom surface of each well. 
 
     
     
       7. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 an injection nozzle through which a liquid is injected into each well. 
 
     
     
       8. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the concave portion has a shape into which a front end of the injection nozzle can be inserted up to a height position lower than a position of an upper end of the microarray accommodated in each well, and 
 the injection nozzle is movable in each well along the depth direction until the front end of the injection nozzle is located at a height position lower than a position of the upper end of the microarray accommodated in the well. 
 
     
     
       9. The microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an input means for receiving an input of operation conditions relating to a hybridization process and a washing process, 
 a calculation means for calculating an end scheduled time of the hybridization process and the washing process based on the operation conditions that are input through the input means, and 
 an output means for outputting a calculation result obtained by the calculation means. 
 
     
     
       10. A method of washing a microarray, the method comprising:
 accommodating the microarray in a well which is one of the at least one well of the microarray processing apparatus according to  claim 1 , 
 descending a suction nozzle in the well until a front end of the suction nozzle is located at a height position of a lower end of the microarray accommodated in the well; 
 suctioning a liquid from the well by the suction nozzle until a liquid surface in the well is lowered to a height position of the lower end of the microarray; and 
 injecting a wash buffer into the well by an injection nozzle after the suctioning. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of washing a microarray according to  claim 10 , wherein the descending, the suctioning, and the injecting are repeated a plurality of times. 
     
     
       12. The method of washing a microarray according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the liquid is suctioned from the well by the suction nozzle while descending the suction nozzle in the well.